📖 Meaning
To withdraw the army and return to the imperial court. It refers to the victorious return of a military expedition force to the capital after completing its campaign. The term emphasizes the formal recall of troops back to the seat of government.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Yuan dynasty play 'Two Lifetimes of Marriage' (两世姻缘) by Qiao Mengfu, Act 3, where a commander who defeated the Tibetan forces and pacified the Western Xia is described as returning to court to receive rewards. '班师' means to recall or withdraw the army, and '回朝' means to return to the imperial court. The idiom was also famously used in Luo Guanzhong's Ming dynasty novel 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms,' where the Shu emperor Liu Shan ordered Zhuge Liang to withdraw his northern expedition and return to the capital.
💡 Example Usage
将军平定叛乱后班师回朝，受到百姓夹道欢迎。
After suppressing the rebellion, the general withdrew his army and returned to the capital, welcomed by cheering crowds along the road.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 班师回朝
- Pinyin: bān shī huí cháo
- Literal Translation: withdraw, army, return, court
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4